If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Jonathan Beckley It's been a little while since we last heard from Crow Follow, but the Boston purveyors of low rock are back with a new single. "Golden Days" is a surprisingly uplifting and positive song from the band. It's a restrained tribute to the things that make up everyday life, even the most mundane. Of course, this is Crow Follow, so it's the kind of song that only they could do. It could just be the horns, but this one sounds like David Bowie collaborating with Morphine. There aren't many songs out there that truly capture how life feels, and sometimes we need a reminder that it may not be easy, but even the most mundane days can be pretty great. Vocalist/guitarist Agent Judy says of the band's latest single: “‘Golden Days’ is a tribute to everyday life. Wishing us all courage and plenty. It says we know we're doing our best. We know it’s not always, or even often, easy. Wishing for each other the best possible outcomes, bright ligh...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday September 20 John Hovorka, Crow Follow, and Connor Storms & His Bouquet at The Burren, Somerville, MA Whitehall and TIFFY at Barewolf Brewing, Amesbury, MA Daughter of the Vine, Minibeast, and Ruff.Feechers at Myrtle, East Providence, RI Kimaya Diggs and Avery Joi at The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA Jolie Holland at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH Nervous Eaters, Robin Lane, and Tiger Bomb at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Divine Sweater and Benet at The Drake, Amherst, MA Ans...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday June 28 Emily Grogan Band, Crow Follow, CATWOLF, and Galaxy Cake at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Dry Cleaning and Frog at The Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA Buffalo Nichols and The Glass Hours at Askew, Providence, RI Cathedral Bells, Video Days, Middle Part, and Ex-Hyena at O'Brien's Pub, Allston, MA TELL, The Daylillies, and Church & Puppets at Warp and Weft, Lowell, MA Saturday June 29 Wes' Rib House Block Party with Sage Francis, Provi...

Photo by Kelly Davidson Studio Crow Follow are by far our favorite Boston "shaman rock and urban cabaret brigade," so we're thrilled that they have a new single out today. "I'm in Love with You" is a joyful burst of low-rock, or a more organic version of post-punk. It's kind of like if you got goths to try out being a jam band, or if you crammed X-Ray Spex in a room with Morphine to see what happens. Crow Follow are a wonderfully strange band that often likes to dance right on the edge of the mainstream, almost to tempt the normies. A song like "I'm in Love with You" shows them at the very top of their game. Vocalist Agent Judy says of the band's latest single: “‘I’m In Love With You’ is another statement of determination from a band that relentlessly promotes our drive to live and thrive. We will not be swayed from our deepest connections to the evolutionary source of our creative forces. That’s where it’s all at. It says that we can e...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 3 The I Want You and Crow Follow at Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA The Iron Roses, Lowest of the Low, and One Fall at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Saturday May 4 Kid Gulliver at Luther's Coop, Easthampton, MA Rock and Roll Rumble Finals featuring Other Brother Darryl, The Ghouls, and Gut Health with special guest Halfcocked at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Folk Collective Annual Concert featuring Alastair Moock, Almira Ara, Anju, Audrey Pearl, Cliff Notez, Gabriella Simpkins, Kim Moberg, Lydia Harrell, Maxfield Anderson, Naomi Westwater, Peter Mulvey, and Steph...

Crow Follow, aka Boston's finest "shaman rock and urban cabaret" band released a new single last week. "Dig It" sums up everything we've come to love about Crow Follow. It's a bizarre little dirty blues song that also crams in plenty of garage rock and indie rock. Plus, with the sax freak outs you're going to be reminded of Morphine quite a bit. Crow Follow are one of those bands that are not going to be for everyone. Hell, they might not even be for you right now. But when a song like "Dig It" clicks, it's going to click hard and burrow itself right down into your soul. It's just such a unique blend of psychedelia and various unrelated genres of rock and roll that it could well take a few listens to truly get the magic of Crow Follow. You can listen to "Dig It" below. For more on Crow Follow, check out the band's website . Dig It by Crow Follow

Doing Anything Fun this Weekend? is a new feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday, February 2 PonyBoy, Muzzins, Minibeast, and The Z-Boys at The Parlour, Providence, RI Princess Bleach, Miracle Blood, and Burr, DNB Craft Kitchen, New Bedford, MA Baabes, Salem Wolves, Sexx Fix, and Komodo Rojo at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Recent History, Kid Gulliver, and Eyrie House Ruins at JJ's Tavern, Florence, MA The Wolff Sisters and Hush Club at The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH Saturday, February 3 Gut Health, Miracle Blood, Fox Canadian, Superjerk, and Berm at Hotel Vernon, Worcester, MA  Happy Little Clouds, Crow Follow, and Cold Expect...

As easy as it is to mock Worcester, MA, it is a city that is rebounding. It's the home of the Worcester Red Sox, a bunch of new restaurants, cool shops, etc. The one thing I'm hoping for more of is live music. Central Massachusetts has always been cover band country, but that is slowly changing. Sunday night Electric Haze, which is a venue I've been hoping would start booking more shows, hosted the fantastic triple bill of Crow Follow, Tysk Tysk Task, and Sapling. Electric Haze seems to host a lot of jam bands, and that was evident as the three bands Sunday night were given up to seventy-five minutes to play. These three are more used to a tight thirty minutes, so some experimentation was very welcome. Sapling opened the evening and had time to go back into their catalog a bit more than usual. While their set did include plenty of favorites from the recently released (and excellent!)  amor fati, the trio broke out "Nice Guys" for the first time in a while, and eve...

Photo by Kelly Davidson Studio After hearing "Indiana Line," Crow Follow's previous single, the most surprising is how (almost) mainstream "Iron Bottom Sound" is. The new song is decidedly "low rock," the genre introduced to most of us by fellow Boston band Morphine. "Iron Bottom Sound" is a jazzy and bluesy song that isn't really alt-rock, but back in the 90's we called everything "alternative" so that's what we'll go with here. The song is mostly vocals and groovy guitar, but it is truly propelled forward by horns. They're used sparingly so that they really suck you in when they are used. "Iron Bottom Sound" might not grab you at first, but if you stick with it, by the end it's going to weasel its way into your soul. Agent Judy says of the new song: “It's about the music scene, going out, playing out; the underneath places where local music tends to be. It’s about seeking out the scene. Lookin...

Photo by Kelly Davidson Crow Follow are a "Boston urban cabaret and velvet shaman swamp rock brigade." That description might not make a whole lot of sense until you listen to their new single. "Indiana Line" is rooted in rock 'n' roll and the kind of rockabilly infused punk that bands like X created. It's a raucous and groove filled track that also leans into the sound of someone like The B-52's. "Indiana Line" is a party waiting to happen, but it also seems to have a level of darkness hidden deep within. This is a great song if you're looking for weirdo rock and punk based party music that won't scare the normies... too much. Crow Follow's ringleader, Tim Sprague, says of the new song: “‘Indiana Line’ has a few layers. On one level, it’s a road trip song made of little scenes seen out the window as you drive through the wreckage of American family farming and the post-apocalyptic shell of American industrial culture. ‘Indiana ...